Handel's Messiah!

Howdy lads and lassies!!

There was a performance of Handel's Messiah going on Saturday night. It was in the Guild Hall where there was a full organ and everything. The Elders caught a drift of some of the practicings. This has been my greatest temptation since beginning my mission. Both me and Sister Wilkinson wanted to go and spend the £15 SO BAD. But obviously, we didn't.

We've had a grand week here in Derry!! We've taught our friend Shane three times since last Monday, and he's committed to baptism! He also came to church yesterday and really liked it! We are so excited for him you don't even know! He's finished the Book of Mormon as well, and is now rereading it. He loves it :) It's such a beautiful thing when you're able to experience seeing someone who discovers such an amazing truth and recognizes it for what it is. I feel like Shane's one of those people. We've been praying lots and lots for him.

We also had our All-Ireland conference this week. We traveled to Dublin Tuesday night and stayed with a bunch of sisters in a wee hostel. It was a partay!! And then on Wednesday we had our conference! Elder Gary Sabin, from the Area Presidency, came with his wife and spoke to us. It was amazing. President and Sister Macdonald also spoke, and it was perfect as usual. I wish everybody in the whole world could know them and hear them speak.

We talked about how we shouldn't grind (common slang for working really hard, but not really having the "why" in our minds), but how we should let ourselves be refined instead. President Macdonald gave the analogy that things that are ground down are still made of the same matter, but when metal is put into a refiner's fire, the dross is drawn out, and it's left as a purified substance.
Elder Sabin made a comment that struck me. And then Shane echoed it during one of our lessons with him. "Jesus Christ is the Master of simplicity. Satan is the master of complexity." My whole mission I feel like I've struggled to be simple in my teaching. I blabber on and on. And this transfer I'm making it one of the main things I'm working on, to be simple in the way I live and the way I speak. President Ballard spoke about simplicity in this last General Conference too :) I love how the Gospel is so simple!!
Another thing: "We are not in battle against one another. We are in battle against the adversary." He was talking about not comparing ourselves to one another and feeling jealousy or envy or trying to become better than they. This is not the point of this life. The point is to have charity and to love and to have joy in everyone's successes and strengths. We should be unified, fighting the adversary together.
Last-ish thing, from Thomas S. Monson, "Fill your minds with truth, fill your hearts with love, and fill your lives with service." (I hope I quoted that right.)

I love you all so much. And I love this work. It's a miraculous thing. We see miracles and tender mercies every single day. Our Heavenly Father wants His children to come back home, and we ALL are His instruments to help Him do that. It can be hard, it can be exhausting, but it's so worth it in the end.

Sister Syphus

First one is my post haircut picture with Sis Wilkinson!

The rest are of us partying in Dublin (not really partying, but it was a good night). 

That gelato was super delish by the way.